Cocalico student gets‘Night to Shine’

Night to Shine, a Tim Tebow Foundation event, is a prom night centered on the love of God, for people with special needs who are 14 and older and it is held all over the world.

This year’s Night to Shine was held on Feb. 9 and over 540 churches around the world, in every state and in 16 countries, hosted 90,000 combined guests. If a guest arrived without an escort, they were paired with a “buddy” to accompany them for the evening. For the second year in a row, this event came to Lancaster.

Emily Moran, a senior at Cocalico High School, attended the Night to Shine hosted by Grace Baptist Church, located at 1899 Marietta Ave, Lancaster. She was escorted by her close friend, Brendan Holbritter, a senior at Ephrata High School. Holbritter’s mother is a teacher at Cocalico High School. Through visiting her classroom and attending field trips with her class, Holbritter and Moran became friends.

Moran, who has been Princess of the Rodeo and Denver Fair Sweetheart, recounted how Holbritter asked her to the event.

“When I was at lunch, he showed up with flowers and a poster that said ‘Can I be your knight in shining armor?’” she said. She happily agreed.

The activities of the night included a formal dinner, dancing, limo rides, corn hole, crafts, a sensory room, a photo booth, and karaoke – the event that excited Moran the most, as she is a member of the school choir.

Night to Shine at Grace Baptist Church hosted over 160 guests and 250 volunteers. The event was coordinated by Joell Ketcham.

“I’m excited to have fun with Emily,” Holbritter said prior to the event. “I want to make sure she has a wonderful night and that it’s a special time.”